


This Is Too Intense

by Drhair76



Series: Vlog Squad [3]
Category: Video Blogging RPF, david dobrik - Fandom, vlog squad
Genre: But platonic love is best, Corinna is my favorite, David needs a hug, David needs a warm hug and a nap, Gen, I hurt him so much, I love their relationship, I promise, I swear i want him to be happy, Insecure!David, Its just so easy to make him sad, Jason Nash is such a dad, Josh Peck is a good bro, Josh and David are the best duo, Liza and David are not dating but they are still best friends, Liza will come in later, Sorry Not Sorry, as per the norm, poor Dave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-16 19:56:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drhair76/pseuds/Drhair76
Summary: After trying to fall asleep and being woken up by nightmares for about three straight weeks, David decided that he wasn't going to deal with it anymore. Instead of trying to sleep after he finished uploading the vlog, he tried to stay awake.His hands were shaking, and he couldn't really focus on a single thing for longer than ten minutes, but he wasn't having those terrible dreams so it was fine.He was fine.Or,David is an idiot and won't just talk to someone about his problems.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my drafts for a week now and I think its finally ready. 
> 
> There aren't any trigger warnings except for the fact that David has nightmares? Idk.

As a kid, David didn't have many dreams. 

They either weren't vivid enough for him to remember them, or they were just weird and foggy. Recently though, he's been having nightmares, and they weren't just the weird and crazy dreams that give you an unsettling feeling in your stomach, they were the dreams that made you sweat and made your chest tighten. They were simple, but they were his greatest fear. 

These dreams would jolt him from up, steal his rest, make his face feel flush and make him shudder. 

They were the kind of dreams that made you not want to close your eyes. 

After trying to fall asleep and being woken up by nightmares for about three straight weeks, David decided that he wasn't going to deal with it anymore. Instead of trying to sleep after he finished uploading the vlog, he tried to stay awake. He drank as much caffeine as he could, he ate sugary snacks, and he never stayed in one spot for too long, never giving him enough time to relax. 

His hands were shaking, and he couldn't really focus on a single thing for longer than ten minutes, but he wasn't having those terrible dreams so it was fine. 

He was  _fine_.

A week later, David was over at Jason's house trying to edit while Scott and Jason were running around, trying to film a last bit. He was sitting on the couch next to Corinna and Josh, who were talking about a video idea for Josh's channel when his eyes started to slide close again. David made the move to get up and head to the kitchen, Corinna stopped him. 

"Where are you going?" 

David blinked and it took him a moment to register her question and think of a response. 

"Coffee." He muttered after a second and Josh tilted his head. 

"Are you okay dude? You've had like, three cups already." 

David shook his head to clear his thoughts and Josh leaned forward in concern. 

"I-I'm good. I just-" David yawned, "-Coffee. Or better yet, maybe I need something that is a little more than coffee and a little less than cocaine." 

Josh and Corinna laughed and almost immediately Scott and Jason both came into the room, cameras in hand. 

"Is someone doing something? What's happening?" 

Corinna laughed again. "No, David is just being dumb again." 

David rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her. The rest of them continued to talk while David struggled to stay awake. Now that Scott and Jason were in the room, he really didn't want to get up and get another cup of coffee, especially after Josh had called him out for already having three. 

But, also now that Jason and Scott were in the room, sitting on the couch, Josh and Corinna were forced to move over closer to make room for them. He was sitting right in between Josh and Scott and was beginning to feel warm and comfortable. He wanted to move, but he felt so comfortable and he was so exhausted. He's been trying to stay awake for about two weeks now, falling asleep, only to be jolted awake because his brain scares him. 

He was  _so_  tired. 

David fell back against the couch and wrapped a blanket around him. He felt cozy listening to his friends talk around him, he felt safe with them pressed against his sides and eventually his eyes slid closed and his breathing evened out. Not even five minutes later, he snapped awake, a scream ripping from his throat. His friends abruptly stopped, and they all looked at him. David clutched at his chest, forcing deep breaths. He clenched his eyes together and bent over to press his forehead to his knees. 

"Dave?" 

Josh's voice. He sounded hesitant and worried. 

David could feel his limbs shaking and Josh placed a hesitant hand on his back. David waited until he got his breathing under control to look up at Josh. 

"Y-yeah?" 

"Are you...what's happening?" He asked. 

David sighed shakily and rubbed his eyes in a defeated fashion. "I can't sleep. Bad dreams." 

Corinna, who was sitting on the other side of Josh, shifted uncomfortably. And Josh could understand, just moments before they were teasing him about his coffee drinking habits, only to realise that it was a serious problem. 

"Dreams about what?" Jason asked and David winced, not really wanting to dive into it, knowing that it would end up getting analyzed and talked about for a while. He didn't have the time to air out all of his insecurities and doubts. Honestly, David just wanted to forget it and move on. He had been trying to for quite some time now. He pressed his palms against his closed eyes and shook his head back and forth. 

"When was the last time you slept?" Then Corinna paused. " _Have_  you slept?" 

David removed his hands from his face and he leaned back against the couch again. He was ninety five percent sure that his eyes were red from tears but he was too tired to care. 

"No." He mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair and Josh shifted beside him. "I just really wanna sleep. I haven't-I can't." 

Scott frowned in worry. "How long have you had these nightmares?" 

"Almost a month now." 

"This long?" Josh raised his eyebrows in shock. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" 

"I don't know, I just didn't." David shrugged, looking completely defeated. "I guess I thought I could handle it, but it's getting to be too much." 

Josh and Jason exchanged looks of worry at his exhausted tone of voice. David's eyes fluttered closed and he placed his head in his hands. 

"I’m so fucking exhausted." He muttered and Josh placed his arm around David's shoulder. 

"Lay your head in my lap and try to get some rest." He said gently. "We'll try to keep quiet for you." 

David looked up and around at his friends, who were all nodding and smiling at him. He pushed down a growing sense of fear and smiled shakily before leaning against Josh. After trying to stay awake for about three weeks, it wasn't surprising that it only took David about four minutes to fall asleep. Josh frowned in concern but the conversation between Jason and Scott diverted his attention. 

"What do you think the dreams are about?" Jason asked quietly and Scott purses his lips in thought. 

"I don't know," he hummed. "Can't be anything good though." 

"He has been stressed recently. Maybe he's worried about his videos, they've been getting demonetized a lot." Corinna brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed. "I've been talking to Liza and she's been telling me that he's trying to seem like it doesn't matter, but it's really bothering him." 

Scott made a noise of skepticism, his eyes cutting down to the younger male. "I don't think he'd have nightmares about that. That's kind of trivial don't you think?" 

Corinna went to respond but David shifted. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and curled his body into itself. Josh's hand automatically went to David's hair, having seen Liza do the same thing multiple times before. He carded his hand through the soft brown locks, making an attempt at comfort. It sort of worked, resulting in David relaxing his body and him taking a shuddering breath. 

"No, I think this is serious." Josh said slowly. Josh wasn't expecting to care so much about the little cub when they first met but it was quickly becoming clear that David wasn't going anywhere and he was becoming one of Josh's closest friends. It hurt him to see David in such pain.

Jason leaned forward slightly. "What do we do?" 

"If he doesn't tell us what's going on...then there isn't much that we  _can_  do." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David wanted to ignore it. 
> 
> He wanted it to go away, to disappear, to never be brought up ever again. 
> 
> Unfortunately, his friends weren't having that. 
> 
> Damn, you spend one afternoon sleeping on Josh Peck's lap and suddenly everyone's worried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part two!! Liza's here (finally)

David wanted to ignore it. 

He wanted it to go away, to disappear, to never be brought up ever again. 

Unfortunately, his friends weren't having that. 

Damn, you spend one afternoon sleeping on Josh Peck's lap and suddenly everyone's worried. 

David assumed that it would stay quiet or that his friends would forget but  _of course_  they didn't. Corinna told Todd and Scott told Kristen, who mentioned it to Liza and now his doorbell was ringing and just take a guess as to who it was. 

David shuffled to the door with his feet dragging behind him. In his efforts to not sleep, he'd done three times the work and already had an extra vlog ready for Friday. His fans were starting to notice his dark under eye circles and how frazzled he was. He loved them to death but he really hated how observant they were sometimes.  

David didn't bother checking who it was before opening the door. He wasn't surprised to see Liza standing there with an upset look on her face. 

"David." She whispered. David blinked rapidly, leaning against the wall to stay upright. 

She came forward and grabbed his cheeks, holding his face in her small hands. Her touch burned but it also soothed him at the same time. His head hurt and suddenly he wanted to cry. 

"Dave?" Liza's voice was alarmed now. His eyes welled up with tears and one rolled down his cheek. Liza brushed it away with her thumb. "Oh honey." She sighed. 

She dropped her hands from his face and quickly picked up his hand. She pulled him out of the doorway and past the living room, into his bedroom. David was too exhausted to even make a joke about it and it seemed like Liza knew that. 

No words were spoken as Liza gently pushed him down onto the bed and he began to peel his clothes off. Liza grabbed some pajamas from his dresser and passed them to him before heading to the closet to get some blankets. She came back to find him curled under his comforter, his eyes blinking at her sleepily. 

She threw the blankets on him and he let out a startled yelp. Liza laughed and crawled in next to him. David peeked out from under the large mass of blankets on top of him with a bright smile. 

"Come on silly." She said fondly. "Come talk to me." 

David's smile dimmed and he straightened. 

"What's been going on? Hmm?"

"I can't sleep." He sighed. Liza leaned forward slightly, prompting David to keep talking. "I-i've been having these dreams and it's  _really_  bad." 

She nodded and David groaned, running a hand down his face. "Ugh, you must think I'm such a pussy." 

Liza grabbed his hand, moving it away from where it was covering his face and smiled at him. "No. I just think you need some rest."

David forced a shaky smile. "Right." 

"Do you want to tell me what you're dreaming about?" She asked. "Talking might help." 

David played with his fingers, purposely not meeting his ex's eyes. "I-it always starts off normal. I'm filming and-and everyone is in the house. We're all-we're all laughing and everything is great." David takes a shaky breath here and Liza really wants to hug him but she holds herself back. "And then suddenly-" he shudders here and tears begin to well in his eyes. "-suddenly everyone just leaves." 

Liza's eyebrows raised in shock. Leave?

"Y-you all just get so fucking angry with me and you g-go." By now David was shaking. He covered his face with his hands as he shook with sobs. "You're all fed up with me and I can't-i can't do anything about it."

Liza was at a loss for words. How could she not have noticed that her bestfriend was going though this for about a month now? 

"I don't want you all to leave but I-i feel like I'm pushing you away." 

At this point Liza couldn't hold herself back and practically tackled David. "Dave," she whispered, "we aren't leaving. I swear we aren't." 

David broke down sobbing into Liza's shoulder and the only thing she could do was hold him and rock back and forth slowly. Liza could tell that David had been holding this in for who knows  _how_  long. She rubbed his back and curled a hand through his hair, whispering little reassurances and promises in his ear. 

Eventually David's sobs petered out and he was left exhausted, finally having let out all the emotion he'd been holding back for a month or two now. Liza still held him, humming now, and David, listening to the sound of his bestfriend's heartbeat and humming finally fell into a peaceful, relaxed sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Dave. Will I ever stop projecting through him? : ( 
> 
>  
> 
> Probably not. : )


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "David!" She exclaimed and everyone turned to look his way. 
> 
> David shifted uncomfortably before taking a couple steps into the room. "Hey." He said uncertainly and Josh smiled at him. 
> 
> "You feeling better?" 
> 
>  
> 
> Or, David finally talks to his friends.

David woke up alone in his bed, his eyes puffy and a slight headache making his head ring but he felt so refreshed. 

It felt so nice, that for a second David almost regretted ever waking up. Who knows when the next time he'd get back to sleep would be. 

He still felt sleepy but he sat up and stretched. As he did he could hear laughter coming from his living and dining room area. David grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders, wanting to keep that comfortable feeling with him even if he wasn't in his bed. 

He shuffled out of his room and down the hallway and the first people he saw were Jason and Josh sitting on his couch. Then he saw Scott, Kristen and Liza and sitting across from them was Zane, Heath, Todd and Corinna. David stood in the hallway just watching his friends silently as they all laughed and talked. The scene was practically pulled right out of his head and the thought of his dreams made his stomach twist with anxiety. He was about to turn around and go back to his room when Liza looked up at him. 

"David!" She exclaimed and everyone turned to look his way. 

David shifted uncomfortably before taking a couple steps into the room. "Hey." He said uncertainly and Josh smiled at him. 

"You feeling better?" 

David nodded. And while it wasn't the total truth, it wasn't a complete lie. He  _did_  feel better, he felt much more energized and capable and ready to work than he had in a long time and it felt amazing. Just because all his friends hanging out together in his living room made his throat close didn't mean anything. 

"You sure?" Jason asked. 

This time David had to speak up, he could see the concerned look on Corinna and Kristen's faces the further this went on. 

"Yeah." David laughed, attempting to channel some of his usual confidence and easygoing demeanor to diffuse the tension. He walked over to Josh and plopped down next to him. "I'm good." 

He expected to conversation to be over or at least for the attention to be off of him but Zane leaned forward, locking eyes with him.

"Dave, we aren't going anywhere." He said erenestly. David's face flushed red and he could see Todd nodding out of the corner of his eye. "We're here to stay." 

David instantly turned to Liza who shrugged. "I had to tell them." 

David wanted to protest and be mad at her but then Scott spoke up. "Dude, we're  _glad_  she told us. Did you really think we'd just leave one day?" 

He didn't answer, instead deciding to fiddle with his blanket, his false confidence immediately vanishing. 

"Dave," Corinna gasped. "We're not gonna fuck off and leave. I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we're gonna be here for as long as you want us." 

David shook his head at this. "But I-I'm always messing with you guys and yelling and I'm a fucking  _terrible_  person." 

Everyone looked at him in shock. 

"Dave, what are you talking about?" Heath asked incredulously. "You are  _not_  a terrible person."

David didn't bother arguing but it was clear to everyone in the room that he wasn't convinced. 

"Why do you think you're a bad person?" Kristen asked softly, adopting her caring and kind tone she often used with Scott whenever he got into a bad headspace. Usually she would allow him the chance to explain his dark thoughts so she could carefully and thoroughly debunk each one. 

"I-i just am. I'm always yelling at you guys for the vlog and making stupid jokes and hurting or scaring you guys-I'm just so fucked up." He stuttered, holding back tears. "I don't deserve you guys." 

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard." Jason scoffed. "What? You mean to tell me that you don't deserve good friends? Family?" 

"David, all those jokes and pranks are for the vlog." Kristen said firmly. "We know you wouldn't do anything to actually hurt anyone of us." 

David pulled the blanket tighter around himself and pulled his knees up to his chest. "But what if it does? I always go to far." 

"If you'd have gone to far, we would've let you know." Scott said matter-of-factly. "And to be honest we can dish it just as hard as we can take it." 

"I don't think that's how the saying goes." Josh mumbled but Scott pressed on. 

"I know we don't say it much, but man, we love you. And all this shit about you being a terrible person is completly unfounded. That's just your anxiety and insecurities talking." 

"Yeah," Liza chimed in. "Don't listen to them. Listen to us.  _We're_  the ones who love you."

The tears that David had been holding back finally spilled over and Josh was the first one to move. He pulled the smaller male into a tight hug and Zane-unable to help himself-joined in, squishing David. 

David allowed himself to simply enjoy the love he was receiving, writing a mental note in his head to return it at a later date. 

Once Zane and Josh let him go, Heath spoke up. "So we're good right? No more of these ridiculous thought of 'I don't deserve friends' or whatever right?" 

David paused before nodding his head reluctantly. 

"If you don't believe us, then we'll just have to keep telling you until you do." Corinna shrugged. 

"Okay." He said awkwardly and Josh put a arm around his small shoulders. 

"Come 'ere cub." David was once again folded into Josh's side, but this time he could relax. He might not believe his friends, but he knew that they kept their word, especially to each other. If they said they weren't leaving, then they weren't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, we're finished!

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I want him to be happy, it's just so much fun making him sad.


End file.
